Stuffed Peppers & Adobo Sauce

June 4, 2012 / pumpkinhoney / 1 Comment

Oh. My. Lord. I just discovered that Rick Bayless has a television show. Where he cooks incredible Latin food. For 30 minute segments.

If you don’t know who Rick Bayless is, well then you’re not eating enough (or obsessed with) Mexican food.

I attribute this obscure find to the History Channel special “3 Night Event!” of the Hatfield & McCoys. And Stephen’s dad. I don’t watch a lot of TV. And by that, I mean on the actual TV. I’m a netflix junkie. I like my television shows portable (by way of laptop) & with back-to-back episodes. SO. Stephen’s father loves shows about cars. And antiques. Thus, I was introduced to American Pickers over Memorial Day weekend. In between every 10 minutes of American Picker footage was a 3 minute homage to the Hatfield & McCoys spectaculAR. So I just HAD TO watch it when it premiered Monday night to find out whether it was gold or shit. And I was sucked in to watching episode 2. And 3. Upon searching the television guide trying to find the History channel in order to DVR the second episode… to fast forward through the HEINOUS overload of commercials, of course… I stumbled upon the mighty random Live Well Network featuring a show called “Mexico: One Plate at a Time“. My reaction went something like “Mexican Food?…. Why yes, I think I will.” Then I read the “info” and found that a man named Rick was going to prepare some common Mexican street food (or something). RICK? Could it be Rick Bayless?!?! So I tuned in. And fell in love. And set out to record every episode for the next week.

He made this kickass looking Adobo Sauce and when I decided to make stuffed peppers this morning I knew I should change it up a bit. Cumin & Chili Powder are great but I needed something different. Something special. Something RICK BAYLESS makes. I tried to replicate the recipe but I couldn’t remember the proportions so I did as best I could.

Okay, I’m obsessed. But if you love (and I mean deep in your bones – want to eat it every single meal – LOVE) Mexican food, then you should be too.

Stuffed Peppers with Adobo Sauce

Adobo Sauce:

3 Ancho Chiles, dried
Olive Oil
1 1/2 Cups Water
2 Cloves Garlic
3 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Dash of Cloves
1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
Salt

Cut open the ancho chiles and remove the stem & seeds. Over medium heat, toast/fry chiles in olive oil by pressing flat on both sides. In a large bowl submerge chiles in 1 1/2 cups of water. Cover with a bowl or plate to help them stay submerged. Let soak for about 20 minutes. In blender, combine chiles and their soaking water with the remaining ingredients. Blend on high until mixture is smooth. Strain through medium strainer to remove any extra seeds or large bits of chile skin.

Stuffed Peppers:

3 Bell Peppers
1 Large Poblano
Olive Oil from heating anchos
1/2 Large Spanish Onion, diced
1 Medium Zucchini, diced
1 Jalapeño, minced
1 – 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Medium Tomato, diced
1 Can Black Beans, rinsed
2/3 Cup Quinoa
1 Chipotle, minced (from can) OR 1/2 Tsp Chipotle Powder
1/4 Cup Adobo Sauce
Salt
1 – 2 Lime

Preheat oven to 450F. Roast the poblano, rotating until skin is mostly blackened all the way around. Let cool a bit before removed seeds, ribs & stem. Dice for the mixture.

Lower oven temp to 425F. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise & clean out stems, ribs & seeds. Bake in oven while you’re preparing the filling. This is a bit of a time-saving tip. When the peppers start to brown, remove from oven. They should just be golden on the edges.

Over medium heat in a medium-large pot, sauté onions, jalapeño & zucchini in oil leftover from light frying the chiles for the adobo. When the onions just begin to brown add the poblano, garlic & tomato. Combine & let cook for a couple of minutes.

Add black beans & quinoa and stir to combine. Add enough water to just cover. Cover pot & bring to a boil to cook quinoa. About 10 – 15 minutes.

Lower heat & add canned, minced chipotle and adobo sauce. Stir to combine. Salt to taste.

You want your mixture to be nice & moist for the oven. Add more adobo sauce to taste/moisten.

Fill peppers to the brim with prepared mixture and return to oven for about 15 minutes.

Remove from oven & squeeze fresh lime juice over each pepper.

Serve with homemade guacamole & extra adobo sauce & Mexican hot sauce (preferably Tapatío).

And perhaps a glass of nicely chilled dry white wine ; )

Absolutely delicious ❤ And filling : )

Echo Hill Goodies

November 9, 2011November 9, 2011 / pumpkinhoney / Leave a comment

Over the weekend I was in Bethlehem, PA for my grandmother’s 90th birthday celebration. Her official celebration was a bash Saturday night, cocktails starting at 6, at the Bethlehem Hotel. We had drinks, dinner, and cake (of course!).

3 of us took the morning on Saturday to sneak away & venture to Echo Hill before the party!!! So exciting!!! We each managed to buy a cardboard box (unfortunately, we forgot our reusable bags) FULL of goodies. Now, I did have a list going into this wonderful experience of happiness & joy, but I abandoned it slightly upon arrival. Some things I wanted that I did not purchase include: amaranth, dark chocolate chips (I couldn’t find any!), barley, assorted flours, cardamom, chili powder, cajun seasoning (I still have a ton), and everything else in the store : )

The List:

Raw Cashews
Raw Almonds
Split Peas
Millet
Quinoa
Rice
Steel Cut Oats
Bread Flour
Dried Dates
Vanilla Beans
Black Cocoa Powder
Butterscotch Bits (for cookies)
Dark Brown Sugar
Light Brown Sugar
Spice Drops (for Stephen)
Mexican Hats (for Stephen)

I think the only reason the list stops there is because I know I’ll be back very soon to purchase all the other things my heart desires! I’m almost certain I’ll be picking up most of the items I had listed but overlooked.

I cannot stress enough what an amazing variety of products Echo Hill carries or the affordable prices. On top of those attributes, the people are wonderful, absolutely wonderful. They know exactly where an item is located if they have it, they’ll tell you about a product if you’ve never heard of it & one gentleman offered to open a package of goji berries once for Stephen & I to try. And the parking lot speaks for it. For a pretty small “country store,” the parking lot (and the inside!) was full. I should become the Echo Hill spokesperson, although I’m sure they don’t need one.

Pinto Beans & Goat Cheese

November 3, 2011November 27, 2011 / pumpkinhoney / 1 Comment

It’s the beginning of November and the weather in Maryland is still very nice! For the last 4 years I’ve been in Central PA during November… where it’s COLD COLD COLD and often snowy or wintry mix-y. I’m not used to this warm weather anymore but I love it. It gets cold enough to wear thick sweaters and warm boots but not so cold its unbearable! Today, its in the high 50s, low 60s. It’s gorgeous outside. There are still green leaves on the trees. Some red and yellow too.

I will be heading up to PA this weekend (brrrrr) for my grandmother’s 90th birthday!!! Go Grandma! We’re throwing her a 90th birthday bash and a bunch of my family will be there. We’re going to party like it’s the 1920s! Technically, Grandma probably partied most in the 30s since she was born in the 20s but whatever. We’ll party like it’s the early 20th century.

She also lives very close to Stephen’s hometown sooo I get to go to Echo Hill. I’m beyond excited! I plan to buy millet, steel cut oats, bread flour, vanilla beans, a variety of nuts, spices, and so much more! I love Echo Hill ❤

I was craving something hearty & warm (even though it’s nice, it’s still fall!) and soup wasn’t going to cut it. This recipe could easily be made with black beans too. Mmmm. The chipotle adds an amazing smoky flavor to the beans and the quinoa rounds out the protein. You could add other veg for a little more variety. If I had bell peppers I probably would have added them! Anyway, enjoy! : )

Pinto Beans & Goat Cheese

Pinto Beans & Goat Cheese

Olive Oil
1/2 Medium Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Can Pinto Beans, unsalted
1 Can Water
1/4 Cup Quinoa
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp Chipotle Pepper, ground
Splash of Hot Sauce (I used Crystal)
Salt & Pepper
Soft Goat Cheese

Sautee onion in olive oil over medium heat for a couple of minute before adding the garlic. Add the spices to bring out the flavors. Rinse beans before adding to pot. Add water and bring to a boil. Add quinoa and let simmer until quinoa if fully cooked and mixture has thickened considerably. About 15 to 20 minutes. Just can add more water if you’re looking for a soupier consistency. Add hot sauce, salt & pepper to taste. The vinegar in the hot sauce will enhance the other flavors. I think lemon juice would be a nice addition of acidity as well. Once plated, sprinkle goat cheese crumbles over beans or leave off for vegan option.

Bon Apetite!!

I was playing with my camera last night and took a few pictures of my favorite ring. It was my mom’s.

I don’t know where the dried flower came from, I’ve had it on my vanity for quite some time but the handwritten card was from Stephen : D

Also, took some pictures of the trees & leaves outside a couple of days ago.Last picture! Tuesday mom & I drove to the Eastern Shore to visit my maternal grandmother & grandfather. They live on the water and I snapped a couple of picture of the sunset.